Here is my point proven about being dismissed.

So I almost didn't write anything tonight as my tank is running really low because I just can't keep up with all of the damage the Orange Oaf is causing, but then I ran across this lovely in my Facebook feed:

First of all, kudos to the individual who responded with the link refuting the claim in the meme.

Secondly, to the first reply to the post, "tree huggers protesting just because Hillary didn't become the 1st female president," what is it going to take to get you to understand the dissent and rebellion and resistance is NOT ABOUT THE ELECTION!!  Yes, he won via an antiquated system; the majority of the people's voices did not make a difference (and yes, I realize the irony in making that statement and saying it's not about the election in the same breath).  The anger, fear, resentment, and fighting you see from us come from his trying to prove he is a man of action by swiftly signing off on all his executive orders without any provocation or thought, just arbitrary actions to keep his supporters loving him. This is about him being a 70 year-old egomaniacal brat needing attention and not giving a tinker's cuss about the people whom he just swore, "so help me God," to defend and protect.

To lump and dismiss us as "tree huggers" is just insulting and, to the argument, irrelevant.  Now, of course, most of us who are resisting do believe in the preservation of our forests and scientific facts presented about climate change, but that is not the point.  The point is we disagree with every fiber in our collective being with everything he has said and done in his first week in office:

• A blanket immigration ban and torture are illegal, unjust, inhumane, and unconstitutional.
• Unilaterally undoing the Affordable Care Act without a viable plan to replace it immediately will do so much more harm than good for over 20 million citizens.
• Defunding Planned Parenthood will not only cause thousands of scared women to revert back to potentially deadly back-alley coat hanger abortions (hyperbolic, perhaps, but not out of the realm of possibility), but deny so many people basic protective health care needs such as mammograms, birth control, and cancer screenings.
• Eliminating the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities will cause great harm to the fabric of our history and culture.

I could go on and on, but I won't tonight because you have undoubtedly heard it all before, and if you're generally against us, you don't care.  I give you leave to prove that statement incorrect.  In the meantime, stop attempting to dismiss and demean us; it ain't gonna work.  Our voices will be heard.

#resist

I would like to thank some members of Congress.

First of all, I'm not feeling particularly loquacious tonight, so if you're looking to read something insightful (if there has ever been any from the start), you may want to look elsewhere for now . . . Sure, I could go off on the ridiculous, unconstitutional immigration ban from the weekend; how I think it is totally against everything our country stands for despite that a conservative National Review writer called some of our reactions hysteria on NPR's All Things Considered today, how I applaud all of the demonstrations that immediately appeared at airports across the country, and how I agree that Judge Ann Donnelly is a hero for stepping in with an injunction to at least give this whole matter some rational thought rather than the blundering clusterfuck the Tweeter in Chief just had to rush into effect without a second thought as to the consequences.

But because of my lack of any great meaning today, I simply want to give a heartfelt and gracious expression of gratitude to some members of Congress who have the courage, strength, and determination to stand up to the new American Tyrant, and for supporting human rights no matter country of origin, faith, or lifestyle choice.  No matter who we are or where we come from, we all want the same quality of life for ourselves and our families; to be happy, healthy, and prosperous.  We all deserve it, and no other individual or group can morally or ethically infringe upon another.  So in defense of these basic human rights, on behalf of all sane and rational people of this earth, if I may be so bold to think I can speak for so many, thank you to these great men and women.  You inspire me to be a better global citizen than I am:

• Senator Chuck Schumer
• Senator Bernie Sanders
• Senator Al Franken
• Senator Elizabeth Warren
• Senator Cory Booker
• Senator Chris Murphy
• Senator Tulsi Gabbard
• Senator John McCain
• Senator Lindsey Graham
• Representative Nancy Pelosi
• Representative John Lewis

And as a disclaimer, any names omitted here is not meant to discredit their work.  These just happen to be the most prominent names of the moment.  Thank you for relentlessly fighting for us, ALL of us.

An open letter to the Right.

I am a liberal.  Please don't let that run you off, but I'll wait for those of you who wish to leave . . .  

Now that's out of the way, I am a liberal, not a Democrat.  Yes, my beliefs fall right in line with those of the Democratic party; and yes, I registered as a Democrat last year, but that was only because it was required for me to caucus for Senator Sanders.  But I have always said if a conservative actually spoke to my beliefs, I like to think I am discerning, rational, and thoughtful enough that I would vote for that individual for the good of whichever jurisdiction is in question.  To date, that person has not run for office.  So yes, I have always voted down-ballot with the D's.  If you want me to vote for the R's, you need to return the Republicanism of Lincoln, not that of Nixon, and certainly not that of the current face of your party (and if you haven't figured it out yet, that's all he is, a face; your party doesn't want him anymore than the rest of us do).

But this is not a letter to denounce the man to whom you have temporarily and egregiously handed the reign of our national experiment.  This is to ask you not to troll us, to use the current vernacular. We are going to post things on social media.  We are going to organize protests.  We are going to attempt discussion, and yell and scream if it becomes necessary.  You undoubtedly will not agree, any more than we do with you.  Disagreement does not make either of us inherently wrong or unpatriotic or evil . . . well, except Trump; Trump is evil, but I digress . . .  

No one deserves to be summarily dismissed just because you disagree with them.  I have experienced far too much dismissive attitude from those who disagree with me lately rather than anyone who wants to engage in civil discussion.  What I mean is the responses I receive from you have basically just been "No, you're wrong because you're a lefty" rather than "I disagree and here is why."  To be dismissed is incredibly rude and insulting, and your non-substantiated arguments make it feel like we're in the middle of a Monty Python sketch; frankly, being forced to talk with you like this makes me want to wander into the Getting Hit on the Head lessons room, too.

We very well may be incorrect about things.  Shocker though it might be, you may be incorrect, too. So before you blow us off with "(S)he's just a Dem" or making an insulting joke or simply say "You're wrong," why don't you try telling us why we're wrong and then let us explain our positions to you?  We may find that, ultimately, we all want what's best for our country, cities, and families; we just have differing ideas of how to go about it.  And guess what: so long as those ideas do not threaten basic civil, human liberties and rights, it's okay.  We can get to where we want to be if we acknowledge each other and talk.

On behalf of everyone on the Left, thank you.

PS.  As I'm sure there are some on the Left who have also read this, it goes for us, too.  We have to be tolerant as well.  I am by no means advocating bending over and letting the current tyranny consume us, but once we get through it, and we will, we have to be willing to talk also.  It's the only way we will finally come back together for the greater good of us all, and we will definitely need that once the damage has been done.  Be strong and vigilant; peace and love to you all.

I don't think 2017 got the memo.

You know, the one about not being as deadly as 2016.  I mean, how many have there been just in the past few days?  Miguel Ferrer, Mary Tyler Moore, now John Hurt.  There have been several others already, too.  I'm certainly not trying to dismiss their passing as any less significant to their families and respective fans.  Here is how Variety tallies it, and here is how the Mirror in the UK lists them.  I guess a consolation up to now is that most of the folks who have left us so far this year were older and ill, so they weren't as much of a surprise as many last year.  That said, I can think of several shining gems we need to hermetically seal away from the ravages of the reaper.

I feel like I'm blathering a little today - political discussion has consumed so much of my mind lately, I'm forgetting how to talk about anything else - and I don't want my return to bringing up celebrity deaths in anyway to come off as me pedestalizing anyone or deeming their deaths as more important or significant than anyone else's.  On the contrary, if anything, it's just another reminder of how fleeting this life is; and it may sound cliche, but it's so true that we all need to live our lives fully. Create that thing that's going to outlive you, even if that is just raising your children right.  Make art. Stand up for what you believe in.  Never forget to tell your family you love them, all of them, frequently and often, even if you can't see them (we're all connected on social media now, and cell phones have made long distance calling obsolete, so no excuses).  Just be present - LIVE!!

That's all I got tonight - peace and love!

I know some celebrities.

When I was in college, I did some would-be intern work at a great, far too short-lived radio station in Minneapolis.  I became, at the least, acquaintances of the on-air staff.  One of those men was Brian Oake, who is currently one of the hosts of the morning show at 89.3 The Current in St. Paul, which I have mentioned in a previous post.  Because, at the time, I was so caught up in myself and reveling in getting to hang with the cool kids at the station (not really wanting to admit I was just being a clinging leach), I never got to know just how intelligent Mr. Oake is.  Since reconnecting in our 21st century way via Facebook and listening to him online (thank the Maker for streaming radio!), I have come to respect not only his vast knowledge and insight as a radio guy, but as a thoughtful and outspoken individual about global issues, particularly those facing our nation.

Rather than take the time tonight to go off on the latest talk of The Wall - if only I meant a conversation about Pink Floyd - I would like to share a section of a post from Mr. Oake tonight that I hope he doesn't mind I have stolen.  I'll have to rearrange this post if he comes back at me that he does . . .  His writing today was prompted by a summary from our fearless resistance leader Robert Reich a couple of days ago:

Robert Reich

January 21 at 7:23am · 

I had breakfast recently with a friend who's a former Republican member of Congress. Here's what he said:

Him: Trump is no Republican. He’s just a big fat ego.

Me: Then why didn’t you speak out against him during the campaign?

Him: You kidding? I was surrounded by Trump voters. I’d have been shot.

Me: So what now? What are your former Republican colleagues going to do?

Him (smirking): They’ll play along for a while.

Me: A while?

Him: They’ll get as much as they want – tax cuts galore, deregulation, military buildup, slash all those poverty programs, and then get to work on Social Security and Medicare – and blame him. And he’s such a fool he’ll want to take credit for everything.

Me: And then what?

Him (laughing): They like Pence.

Me: What do you mean?

Him: Pence is their guy. They all think Trump is out of his mind.

Me: So what?

Him: So the moment Trump does something really dumb – steps over the line – violates the law in a big stupid clumsy way … and you know he will ...

Me: They impeach him?

Him: You bet. They pull the trigger.

I had started thinking something like this was going on.  It doesn't surprise me that Mr. Reich had this conversation.  If anything, I'm surprised a Republican discussed it with him, he who is known as a staunch and vocal Democratic opponent of the current administration.

So today, Mr. Oake read this (I don't think from my sharing it), and then responded in kind with the following:

Somehow, Trump actually got elected. It's perfect. He's a thin-skinned, megalomaniacal C-List celebrity who craves nothing more than adoration and approval. He's fragile, sloppy and easily manipulated, the perfect patsy. And, like it or not, the Washington Elite know what they're are (sic) doing. They're smart. They have decades of experience and innumerable alliances on their side. They recognize that Trump has half of America in his back pocket and that the other half hates his very being. They want outrage, they want protests. They want us vocal, visible and mad as hell at The Figurehead. The louder we are, the angrier our new President becomes. His fragile ego can't take it. He'll get more defensive, he'll lash out. He'll sign every single thing that's placed in front of him out of sheer anger and defiance. That's why this is all moving so fast. But wait, there's more...

Once the most hated Liberal Policies and Agencies have been deleted, destroyed or rolled back, the gears will begin to turn...think: why haven't the more sane Conservative Elements in Washington been crying foul over Trump not divesting his business interests? Because it's a perfect tool to have him impeached once he has worn out his usefulness. And if not that, he is such an undisciplined buffoon that he'll make a grievous error of some sort, sooner than later.

And here's the kicker: Once Trump is impeached, The Left is going to celebrate in delirious vindication that they deposed The Tyrant. They will claim victory, but they will have already lost. And President Pence is MUCH better at 'playing ball'. The Established and Entrenched Right couldn't have dreamed up a scenario this delicious.

I don't think I could have said it better myself, even if it weren't late and I was thinking straight.  So thank you, Brian Oake, for your succinct and eloquent words.  In the future I will endeavor to get back to using my own rather than creating an entire post around someone else's.  Good night and stay strong, everyone; it's only the beginning . . .

I always make good on a promise.

So the "Part 2" is not so much about the Academy Awards as it is about the performing arts in general.  I've been thinking about this over a month and a half and finally have somewhere to put it. And even though I gave myself an out to discuss other things that might come up today (which we knew there would be), I don't want to go off on the asinine wall yet because I know we've not heard the last of it.

So one of many things for which the President of the United States is responsible is the annual naming of recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, which recognizes great lifetime achievements from every artistic discipline.  Since the buffoon got elected right before the Kennedy Center presentation took place in early December, it got me to thinking about to whom he will grant this distinguished honor, if he does it at all (since he wants to eliminate the NEA, he clearly thinks the performing arts are a waste and therefore not worth his time), and furthermore, would anyone of conscience accept it from him?

                                                       

So first of all, clearly, it would have to be a Republican.  As no Democrats supported him, and he doesn't acknowledge anyone who doesn't support him, it's safe to limit selections to those in the GOP. That eliminates most of the entertainment community, which will make his job much easier; he'll like that.  With that in mind, here's the short list I came up with of possibilities:

• At first I though Arnold could get a nod as a fellow Republican, but then they started spatting over the stupid Celebrity Apprentice show, so there is clearly no love lost and the Governator is our of contention.
• He could give it to Clint Eastwood after his sterling 2012 RNC showing proving he's worthy, but then he already received it in 2000.
• Scott Baio, the highest-profile celebrity he could get to speak for him at the RNC; what a privilege for Chachi!  His work ranks right up there with Cary Grant, Gene Kelly, Morgan Freeman, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Elizabeth Taylor, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
• Kid Rock and/or Ted Nugent - certainly two of the more right-wing musicians in the world. Weren't they playing at some celebratory party he had?  Again, right up there with Lena Horne, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, The Who, Dolly Parton, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
• Maybe he could give it posthumously to Charlton Heston as the great card-carrying NRA face that he was.
• Jon Voight may be the only actually legitimate candidate I could see getting it as he is a decent actor, but again, Jon Voight is to James Stewart as flank steak is to filet mignon; both will satisfy, but one is far superior to the other.

But who are we kidding?  Mr. Ego Nepotist will declare himself the greatest thing the performing arts has ever seen and just give it to himself, alone, year after year.  And I mean, c'mon, can you blame him?  Look at all his fabulous credits!  "Nobody plays Donald Trump better than me.  My performance in Home Alone 2 was YUUUUGE!  The best thing that's ever been on film.  The Academy wanted to give me an Oscar, but I turned them down.  That worthless piece of metal has no place on my mantle.  Sad." #alternativefacts

So there you have it, folks.  I'm sorry to say that if you enjoy the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast right after Christmas, you're in for one more bit of holiday depression after you finally get your crazy conservative uncle out the house, as if Trump won't be patting himself on the back enough for everything else he has torn apart.  The only good thing will be having Stephen Colbert continuing to host the event.  He'll be the last one getting away with shaming him directly to his ugly orange mug because the ass just doesn't get it - any of it.

Let's talk about the Oscar nominations.

So the nominees for the Academy Awards were announced this morning.  I didn't even know; I just happened to look it up knowing they were coming soon.  Once again, I'm behind on seeing most of what are considered the best movies of the year.  The difference this year is that I actually have some real interest in catching some of them before the ceremony.  I still have plans to see several (La La Land and Hidden Figures primarily), but the only Best Picture nominee I have seen so far is Fences, which I thought was a fantastic adaptation of the play.  And while we're talking about that movie, will someone just give Viola Davis a damn Oscar, please??  I'm beginning to think she can do no wrong.  I might need to go watch her Shonda-verse show, I think she is that phenomenal. She was probably the best thing in Suicide Squad, although that's not saying much . . . try again DCEU.

But what I really want to discuss is The Arts in general.  The Tangerine Turd, in his infamous wisdom, has trotted out the old GOP standby of threatening to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  According to a report on BroadwayWorld.com, some fuck blossom ironically named Brian Darling, formerly with something called the Heritage Foundation, said this:

"The Trump Administration needs to reform and cut spending dramatically, and targeting waste like the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities (emphasis mine) would be a good first step in showing that the Trump Administration is serious about radically reforming the federal budget." 

"Waste," you ass-wiping blowhard of a nobody??  How dare you?!  Not only do these programs take up less than 0.1% of the national budget, how many jobs will be eliminated if they are dropped?  I liken this to a part in stave three of A Christmas Carol:

``If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race,'' returned the Ghost, ``will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.'' 

Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief. 

``Man,'' said the Ghost, ``if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child. Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!''

This whole administration is going to be like this, and what gives HIM or any of his ilk the right to determine whose life and choices are better than another's?  All of his quick actions in the first four ghastly days have just been an attempt to prove that he is going to be a doer and make good on his campaign promises.  Well, I'll give him that: he sure has, arbitrarily signing anything that goes against what President Obama put in place just to say he did it in a selfish attempt to make himself look better and get a higher approval, because, again, all he is about is the attention.

So help save the NEA and the NEH!  Sign this whitehouse.gov petition before the entire petition page disappears from the site as quickly as everything else progressive did.  Tomorrow I'll have a Part 2 on this unless he and/or his cronies make another ridiculous statement or action that needs precedence.

I have to say today was a good day.

And it wasn't even that exciting.  It was a culmination of little things coming together that are making me go to bed with a smile tonight.

• I got my happy butt up in enough time to run a 5K+ on the treadmill before getting my kids to school and myself to work.
• My guest engagements were generally positive.
• We got extra mileage out of Kelly Anne's ridiculous "alternative facts" comment (have fun living that one down, babe!).
• We learned of the next planned protest rally: April 15 to demand his tax returns be released to prove there will be no conflicts of interest - that's right, Donnie: we DO still care.
• My commute home wasn't too dreadful.
• My wife had a simple but nice meal waiting for me when I got home.
• My daughter earned her 100 sight word gumball today (a paper reward for recognizing simple words) - she gets to be Queen tomorrow!
• We started our son in second grade today and he loves it!
• They were streaming E.T. on Netflix, first time I've watched that in ages!  And yes, I wept.
• Avengers: Infinity War started filming today!!
• Couldn't be a more appropriate time for Supergirl to return from its winter hiatus, right after Melissa Benoist marched in the protests with a killer sign!

And to wrap it all up, I'm here with you fine folks dictating a bullet list of my day because I really have nothing else for you.  My Drumpf well is pretty dry today.  Fear not, I have every confidence there will be plenty more to say about it all soon.  But I never intended this to be a purely political outlet; we need some diversion every now and then.  As I always say, everything in moderation, and I think I need to heed that advise for a bit when it comes to this disaster to which we're being subjected; I'm more drained than the proverbial swamp (which isn't saying anything).

Thank you all for reading and following!  Share me if you can so more strangers can not know me!

I am exhausted.

This weekend was extremely draining.  It started on Friday with the official beginning of the apocalypse immediately followed by the love we lost because we took it for granted.  Saturday, millions of brave, strong women and men from all walks of life came together to make sure their voices were heard, while the toupee with the talking tangerine stuck to its ass got into a lying pissing match over how many people came to fawn over him versus how many came for his predecessor (I'll tell you: the latter had more - deal with it!), even going as far as sending a stooge to defend the lies. Finally today, another minion seeking her own celebrity, wearing an unnecessarily expensive coat - that screamed either Napoleon, nutcracker, or Paddington Bear - had to defend the stooge and their master by compounding the lies and spinning the story with "alternative facts," which now leads me to believe that Trevor Noah was right on Friday: we're still waiting for Marty McFly to show up.

As a matter of fact, I think I'm just going to leave this clip here.  If you haven't seen it, Noah captured Friday's events perfectly.  If you have seen it, it's worth a second watch.

So today, I'm tired.  I am reviewing a lot social media suggestions about what to do next, because the marches were only the beginning, and I have to decide what is right for me.  I must force myself to not fall into my typical laziness and complacency; if I do, what was all my fear and anger, arguing and ranting all year for?  I will let it marinate and simmer for now, but you have every right to call me out as a hypocrite if I don't follow through.  Hold my feet to the fire, but help me, because we truly are all in this together, no matter what side you're on.  We're all going down - left, right, or middle - if we don't stand unified against the tyranny that is threatening to consume us.  Those of us on the left, we know why we fight.  Those of you on the right, you may want to look into how many on your side are just as nervous.  Those of you still blissfully, naively swimming in his new swamp . . . I don't know what to tell you.  I guess call when you're ready to get out; we'll still be there to help in your peaceful transition back to rationality.

I may be a bad liberal.

I had to be at work at 8am today.  I am in a front-facing, guest assistance position and sit at a computer with no speakers attached, so I was unable to watch any of the protests live.  The most I could do was steal a few looks at Facebook throughout the day to see so many friends and family attending rallies all over the country, adding their voices to the hundreds of thousands standing up against the anticipated tyranny of this new administration.  All I had to contribute was my "likes" and "loves" to their photos and posts.  I have watched a couple of videos since, and it looks like they were absolutely awesome, and I mean that in the proper definition, not the colloquial slang.

         

As today drew closer and I heard about more and more of these events being organized around the country, I did a little searching to see if there would be anything happening in Las Vegas, as I hadn't heard of any plans, which seemed odd.  All I could find were old stories about protests that happened outside his hotel during the campaign.  Turns out there was a march here today, too; I couldn't be happier about that.  What upsets me is I don't know if I would have attended even if I knew about it enough in advance to arrange the time off from work.

I'm three weeks into this blog.  If you haven't noticed by now, I have some pretty strong opinions about things.  I stand firmly behind those opinions.  However, I, like most other cowards (especially these days), feel stronger behind a keyboard and a screen than I do in person.  I've never seen myself as a rah-rah, shout-and-scream, in-your-face protester.  It's probably a combination of fears: fear that I really don't know what I'm talking about, fear of not being able to respond intelligently if confronted with opposing views on the spot, and fear of possible repercussions if things get ugly.  When it comes down to it, I'm a phony with a big mouth.  Hey, maybe that means I can be president, too!  Then I wouldn't have to protest!  The difference is I would be compassionate and actually listen to advisers who know more than I do.

So to all of you who attended a rally and marched for what we believe is right, thank you, I love you, I am in awe of you, and you are far better people than I.  I hope to be you when I grow up.

I tried to stay quiet today.

I wore black today.  I had red stripes in my tie.  Of course the red was not in support of the Great Cheeto or his party, unlike my arrogant Republican coworker who wore his bright red "power tie."  It was for anger.  It was for love.  It was for hope.  It was for defiance.  In my own way, it was my private little protest from the other side of the country.

I did not watch the inauguration, primarily because I was already at work, but I would not have watched even if I weren't.  He does not need any more attention than he has already received and will continue to receive now that he is in power.  That is all he wants; it's what he craves: attention. The only time I really went off today was early in the morning as some coworkers were silently streaming the proceedings; one of them made comment that when his car pulled up to where the Obamas were waiting for them, he got out and was up the stairs meeting with them before his wife even got out of the car from her own door.  I started shouting and banging my hand on the desk for emphasis that it's because that is what he is all about; that he doesn't care at all about the job, just the attention.  My coworkers already know where I stand; they watched me erode on election night.  The one who made the initial observation had to give me a slight friendly "calm down" warning.  From that moment, I decided to just stay quiet about it.

It seems I can only get impassioned about these things with a certain audience.  Others are tired of listening to me, as has been more than evident by the responses I have received all year on Facebook from my surprisingly-conservative high school classmates. (You never gave me this much attention while we were growing up . . . )  On one hand, I can't say that I blame them.  This entire political season has consumed me.  Hell, I'm tired of hearing me!  But I will not be trolled or dismissed into silence.  As I see it, you have two options: a. you can engage me in civil discussion; or 2. you can stop following me.  My opinions and beliefs are just that: mine; you will not take that away from me anymore than I can take yours from you.  There are millions of people out there who believe exactly as I do, and you will not silence any of us.

Furthermore, don't engage in stereotype or assumption.  I was listening to NPR on my way home this evening; of course all the attention was on the inauguration.  I heard a soundbyte of an interview with a supporter from South Carolina attending the festivities who when asked about the protesters rudely said something like, "Go smoke a joint and shut up."  When the interviewer asked the man if the President needs to engage the other side, he proceeded with his negativity with, "What other side? There's no talking to them!"  You conceited prick, YOU DO NOT GET TO BRUSH US ASIDE WITH YOUR UNFAIR DEDUCTIONS OF WHO WE ARE!!  Have your opinions, but do not presume to know who each of us are as individuals. Talk to us as fellow Americans, not as liberals; you might be surprised to learn that we all want the same things for our families and country.

I stayed pretty quiet all day.  I don't have to be quiet here and now.  God bless America, and God help us all.

I'm giving a very melancholy toast to President Obama tonight.

I'm late tonight because I went to another show (loves me some Sondheim!), and now, instead of going to bed so I can get up early and hit the treadmill before my kids wake up for school, I am typing on my tablet, watching Colbert, whisky in hand, privately toasting President Obama in my own way.  I think I'm afraid to go to sleep knowing what is awaiting us in the morning.

I don't want to spend time in this post with more whining and complaining.  If you have followed me thus far, you know where I stand; if not, go back and read some previous posts.  That, and there will be four years (maybe less if we're lucky) of opportunity and material; rest assured I won't stay quiet.

I just found this on Facebook from Patton Oswalt; if I am going to call myself a progressive socialist, I need to work hard to incorporate this into my life:

I don't know what to do tomorrow, either. Or the day after that or ANY of the days after that. We'll have to make it up as we go along. If it's any comfort, that seems to be Trump's plan, too.

I know there are protest marches planned for the 20th and ESPECIALLY for Saturday. And that's a great idea. I'm glad to see they're happening in "red" states as well as in D.C., Los Angeles and NYC. 

But I was thinking... 

Another thing you could do tomorrow, and Saturday? But ESPECIALLY tomorrow?
Leave your TV tuned to a channel like Turner Classic Movies or National Geographic or any channel that will have zero inaugural coverage. Then turn off your phone. Then shut down your computer. 

And then -- IF you can afford it -- go find a struggling theater company and pay to see whatever play they're putting on. Or a struggling art gallery or music club or museum. Leave 'em money and see what they're about. Go see an indie film that's got stellar reviews and no audience. Or a new restaurant or other small business that needs friends and customers. Download a new band. Go to an independent bookstore and buy something from a small press. Go to an open mike. Or see any comedian. Tip your barista or barkeep a little extra. 

In other words, do all of the cultural and aesthetic things that Trump thinks are worthless. Make a whole big chunk of existence suddenly spike in importance. And then keep doing that, if you can. 

And if you DON'T have any money? Go knock on your neighbor's door and see if they need anything. If you have a friend who's Muslim, or gay, or any one of dozens of people that Trump has sneered at or hinted darkly about, go say hi and just ask if they're okay. Tell 'em you've got their back. That they can come over any time, knock on the door, even if they just need someone to yell "FUCK" with. 

This is going to be loooooooooooong, tense four years. We elect leaders to take worry and tension OFF of our plates. We have enough of that as it is. But for some reason, we decided to put someone in charge where the everyday weight of keeping the world from cracking apart is COMPLETELY on our shoulders, along with everything else we already have to deal with. 

So if we're really going to fight back, and resist, the first thing we have to do -- and it's only a little thing, really, but it's gotta be everyday -- is an ongoing, gentle blowing on the tiny spark of sanity that's still left, to keep it glowing. 

We've got a President who bellows cold ignorance from dawn to dusk, and he could give a shit if he kills that spark. 

So keep it lit. And keep things light. And huddle up. 

This is gonna be bad. So be good.

I just can't say enough about President and Mrs. Obama.  They have done so much for us for the last eight years despite ridiculous, massive obstruction.  They have shown us what class, dignity, and integrity truly are.  Thank you and your family for your wonderful service to us and the sacrifices of your family.  We love you and you will be missed.

                     

I think I've just figured something out.

I'm guessing most of you probably worked this out already; I can be a little obtuse sometimes . . .

So we know by now how completely ill-prepared and incompetent the Cheeto Menace is for what he is about to have handed to him in the next day and a half (God, it is so hard having to admit that!). Now unqualified moron after unqualified moron have been rushed through Senate hearings to measure their value as members of his cabinet.  As he announced his picks (like it's a professional sports draft) for each of his Secretaries, on paper one was just as inexperienced as the next and just seemed like laughable selections.  Here's my revelation: Trump ain't no dummy; he picked people he knew full-well were completely unqualified to make himself look like a genius by comparison!  He is going to be terrible at this job, so he is hiring people to work for him who will do even worse jobs in their roles, masking his own failures.

Now I admit I haven't watched much of the hearings; I prefer my head not to hurt anymore than it has during this entire transition.  I did watch for a bit yesterday.  I will say this: I was not completely offended by what Mr. Zinke (Secretary of Interior selection) had to say.  If he is truly willing to believe that climate change is not a hoax and that Man has something to do with it, let's at least engage him in discussion.  Ms. DeVos, on the other hand, is a total imbecile!  I don't even know where to begin.  Let's sum it up with three things: 1. lower wages for public school teachers (fuck you, you billionaire $200 MILLION Republican-contributing whore!!), 2. guns for grizzlies (What the Actual FUCK?!), and 3. YOU HAVE ZERO EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION!!!!!  Yes, I am being very rude and crass, but this woman has absolutely no business even discussing national education much less being considered for putting her in charge of it!  And congratulations to Senators Sanders, Franken, Warren, and Murphy for nailing her over-privileged clueless ass to the wall.  And yet, somehow, inexplicably (well, maybe not inexplicably as we know every single one of his Human Dolt Shield will be confirmed thanks to the Republican-controlled Congress), she will become the next Secretary of Education.  Maybe I will have to rethink entering the teaching field: I'm already going to be afraid of what will happen to my wife's job and my children's education; I don't need to be frantic about my own position, too. That and the Clark County School District is a disaster.

I can't speak to much of the other nominees as, again, I haven't watched much else of the hearings. However I have seen the reports of what the rest of the gang is about.  Nearly every one of them is uniquely unqualified for the role for which they have been put forth.  Dr. Carson, who doesn't understand his growing up with food stamps and welfare is taking help from the government, wants to be Secretary of HUD.  A climate change denier will be in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency.  They're all total opposites of their jobs!  And behind this wall of excrescence will be his Orange Majesty sitting on his gold throne looking down at the peasants, all crying because they are suffering from the regressions and/or because they supported him and now realized they got duped. Thanks a lot, 'Murica!

I hate taking medicines.

Yet I know their worth.  I am not a holistic, naturalistic hippy-dippy nut.  I am not against taking medicines.  I just don't like to.  However, I have to.

I turned forty three years ago.  That was the year my body decided to fall apart.  My vision started getting blurry, so I had to give in to reading lenses, and my opthamologist recommended I take a fish oil supplement to help dryness.  I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so I am now forever taking synthroid, with an ever-increase dosage.  I'm on prescription-strength Prilosec.  Rashes and hair are turning up all over.  My gums are receding.  At forty years old I have one of those weekly pill boxes, each compartment filled to the brim between medicines, vitamins, and supplements.  It's a scary prospect.

As I fill the box each Saturday for the following week, I think about watching my grandfather sitting at the table filling his box, laying out a cloth and separating his pills.  Of course, to my young mind, I always envisioned him as much older, but he got sick and passed relatively young, so my memories have to be from his late fifties or early sixties.

And then I start to think about my mortality.  I'm certainly much closer now than I was twenty-plus years ago when I was out nearly every night at coffee shops (remember those - real independently-owned coffee shops?) or jumping around drinking and smoking at First Avenue in Minneapolis watching my favorite bands play with no ear protection (oh yeah, I've been living with tinnitus for years, too - thanks a lot, Moby!).  We all know the end is inevitable, but in those years it seems so far away; never mind it can happen to any of us any time.

It's not just my pill box that frightens me.  Having so many entertainers who I grew up with who really mean something to me pass away last year (Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Garry Shandling, Carrie Fisher) makes you pause.  I'm starting to have more relatives leave me in recent years, relatives I don't get to see very often because we're all scattered to the four corners of the country and I never plan well to get home to our annual reunion.  Both of my wife's parents passed two years ago. I haven't seen my own mother in over four years (if you don't count the rare Skype sessions), and she is starting to have some issues, although, thankfully, she should have plenty of time left in her, but she is getting on.

So I take the pills.  If not just for my own health and longevity, but so I can be around for a while for those who need me.  Selfishly, I need them more, because they may be the best daily medicine of all.

I should probably address the day.

I don't think I can say anything about Dr. King that would add anything meaningful to the discussion because I was not a great student of history growing up and what I did get was purely from a mostly-white, Midwestern education, and therefore I don't feel like I have any right to it.  I feel the same way about 9/11; I was strongly affected by it, as we all were, but I didn't know anyone who was killed or hurt, or knew anyone with family involved.  I was still a secluded Midwesterner then; I didn't move to NYC for another year and a half.  Whenever the anniversary of that disgusting act comes around, I am sad and angry and I grieve, but part of me feels like I have no right do so because it was not my direct experience.

Doctor King was a great man who sacrificed so much to fight for what is right.  It is so sad to me to know and observe that we still have not reached his true dream, and that we're actually regressing back closer to where we were before he tried to show us how we were wrong.  True, it's not anywhere near as bad as it was.  And yet, despite what I see happening and I know what is right in my heart, I feel like I have no business talking about it, out of ignorance and acknowledging my white privilege, which I also hate admitting I have, but I have it.  I am sorry for that.

What I will say is I applaud Representative Lewis, the last living person to be around Dr. King during his greatest work, for organizing the protest against the Great Orange Menace's inauguration, and the growing list of House members who are joining him.  I hope some Senators join them as well.  I also think that suddenly-Republican-in-a-vain-attempt-to-remain-relevant C-list actor and comedian (using those terms loosely) Rob Schneider and his recent decision to tweet about Rep. Lewis in an attempt to teach him about Dr. King is pretty pathetic.  Go back, to makin' cahp-ays and being fourth runner-up in Adam Sandler flicks, Robbie.

And as we enter this new era of the American Experiment (boy howdy, are we throwing in some new ingredients and variables!), I am thinking of the key lyric in Ben Harper's song "Like A King" which works equally out of context as it does within the song: "How I wish you could help us, Dr. King"

I am torn.

So in two weeks of writing, my political rants appear to have been my most popular posts, judging solely by the view tallies.  Interesting as I still really only have a cursory understanding of it all.  I just really need my opinions heard!  *cough*Hypocrite!*cough* - hey, Donnie, got an extra seat at the Narcissism table??  You know, cuz it's all about me!  No, it's a table for one?  Okay, I'll get my own, thanks!  Asshole...

What I'm leading to is I, and many of us of late, have given WAY too much attention to this fuckface posing as a man.  I am by no means saying we should stop calling HIM out on his lying, bigoted, egotistical, xenophobic, misogynistic, homophobic, racist demagoguery.  We need to fight with every ounce of our being, and there are many of you who will, far more than I will have the balls to do myself.  But because everything is actually about HIM - in his own deluded head - we are giving HIM exactly what he wants: attention.  He cries bitterly at the slightest bit of reporting (CNN over Pissgate), editorializing (Meryl Streep), or satire (Saturday Night Live); but I'm beginning to believe that he secretly loves it (much in the same way I believe he never really wanted the job of president, just the chance to gloat he won something else).  It's the old "There is no such thing as bad publicity" bit.  Anytime someone talks about or to HIM, or puts a camera and microphone in front of HIM, he gets the same warm fuzzies inside as when he thinks about Vladie's bare-chested horseback rides.

And so while we cringe at the next looming doomed-to-fail Trump brand (don't kid yourselves, that's all this is: leasing his name to the country so he can make another buck on another dead enterprise - Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, Trump University, Trump America), we must find more constructive ways of fighting while not giving HIM all the attention he craves.  An old friend posted this on Facebook and I had to steal it because it really encapsulates my feelings:

"I've come to the conclusion that Mr. Trump has invaded my life, and most likely many of yours. The negativity, the constant news, the conversations on Facebook..all of it. Instead of letting him permeate my life and continue to steal my attention (which is what he wants, most likely), I'd like to get back to focusing on the real relationships in life..the ones that make everything matter. While still keeping a careful eye on the news, I pledge to separate my spirit from this daily drama that has become normalized. Maybe we can all make a difference by focusing on each other instead of on this "toxic relationship". Would you like to join me on this quest?"

It will certainly be an additional struggle for me, keeping my eyes and ears attentive to what is happening and do whatever I am compelled to do while not letting HIM consume so much of my life, and by extension, yours if you have chosen to follow me on any platform.  I love my family.  I love you for listening to me.  I love our country and our way of life.  I am not against change, but only if it is change for the better; what we are facing is not change for the better.  I will not be silent, but I think I must also work hard to join my friend's quest of putting some of the drama aside and focus on each other.  If we can all find a balance, I think we disempower HIM a bit and we make ourselves individually and collectively healthier and happier.

I am so loving my new work hours!

As I wrote previously, after seven and a half years of working until 11 or 12 o'clock at night, I have FINALLY been granted a day shift.  I cannot tell you how happy this has made me.  My time is really mine again.  Yes, the time in actual hours is probably the same no matter when my working hours are, but the quality of that time has significantly increased.

I can finally get involved in the blossoming theatre scene in this otherwise culturally-vacant cesspool of a town.  Maybe I learn there is more going on than I know and I'll stop thinking of it as a culturally-vacant cesspool.

I don't know that this blog would have happened without this new time afforded to me.  (I can already hear some of you saying, "Please go back to working nights," and I've only been at this for two weeks.)

I can attend things again!  In addition to going to theatre, maybe I will attend concerts again, which I haven't done in years, and that used to be the epicenter of my life.  I took my kids to Disney on Ice tonight!  That kind of thing really hasn't been possible until now unless I used up a day off from my annual allotment.

And speaking of them, that is what has been most important to me, getting to spend more time with my children.  Before, there were days where I would only see them for one hour in the morning while getting them ready for school.  Now I not only have that, but time at night to help with homework, play, and read.  Even the simple pleasure of getting to say "good night" every night fills me with such joy.  It really is true: once you become a parent, there is no comprehending what life was like before your children, and even if you could, you don't want to.  And now I get to be with them as I have always wanted to be.

I am in total awe of my son.

He turns seven in about three weeks, and he astounds me at every turn (when he is not running around screaming and squawking like an idiot).  He has been called my Mini Me since he was born, but we couldn't have predicted how much that would hold true beyond our appearance.  We are alike in so many ways, and yet he is already surpassing where my vague memories of my childhood tell me I was at his age, and in some cases surpassing me where I am now at my age.  Every parent says it, but speaking as objectively as a parent can, my kid is REALLY smart!

At three and four years old, he could tell me more facts about dinosaurs than I have ever cared to know.  He is absolutely fascinated by Legos and Minecraft and anything with building (and you stupid spellchecker; how can you not recognize Legos??!).  He is presently in the middle of first grade.  He spells and reads like he's in fourth grade.  He is the only student in his class to be getting a separate set of spelling words and quizzes that he aces every week.  At his conference before the holidays, we convinced his seemingly reluctant teacher to allow him to attend a second grade class for reading twice a week.  He is loving the more advanced reading and discussion with other students rather than being shunted off into a corner with his own book while the rest of his class is doing simpler texts.  He seems to be in the early stages of understanding simple multiplication (I like to think setting him up with some Schoolhouse Rock! has helped with this a little, but that may just be wishful thinking).  He thinks his favorite subject is science, although when he talks about science it's actually social studies.  He is understanding sentence and paragraph structure.  A's down the line on his report cards.  Truly, the only thing academically that bothers me about him is his handwriting is atrocious.

Today, after picking our children up from school, my wife calls me and says she had another conversation with the principal (she works two days a week at the school, so she has easy access to him).  As the principal had suggested at the beginning of the school year, so he suggested again: "Do you want to put him in second grade?"  In the fall, we considered it for about half a minute before we decided socially and emotionally he was not ready for it.  As we see how far beyond the rest of his first grade class he is, we are now reconsidering skipping him up for the remainder of the year.  I think we are going to have him go to the class for one full day rather than just for the reading session to see how it goes, then make a decision from there.  I am little concerned about what he may have missed at that level for the first half of the year; how much will he need to catch up to not be lost?  I need more input, but I am more excited about this prospect for him than I ever thought I would be. Right now, the staff says the worst thing that could happen to him is the rest of his classmates will be able to drive a year sooner - who the hell cares about that??!

I know the prospect of a bright kid skipping a grade is not necessarily all that novel.  It's not like it has never happened before.  But I sit there and listen to this kid talk, his imagination and knowledge and curiosity, watching when he really applies himself to something, I'm telling you this kid is going somewhere.  I'm still not entirely certain where that is yet, but to again paraphrase Hamilton, he is going to blow us all away.

Some of you need to be reminded that celebrities are people, too.

Since the immensely talented and FAR-from-overrated greatest female actor of our time, Meryl Streep, has become the latest in the succession of celebrities who have spoken their minds about politics, it has become necessary to again point out that CELEBRITIES ARE STILL PEOPLE!! They are also citizens!  It drives me crazy when I hear someone respond to Ms. Streep giving a speech or Joss Whedon assembling the MCU cast for a commercial (side note: I guess not enough people wanted to see Mark Ruffalo naked) by saying, "They don't know what it's like.  They're rich; they can't relate.  Celebrities should just shut up."  If you think this, remind me to smack you like the Batman meme.

First of all, you have just elected a billionaire reality star, a CELEBRITY (with no prior experience, by the way), into the highest seat of power in our country.  Sounds exactly like someone from whom you just said you don't want to hear talking about politics.  Hmmmm....

Secondly, celebrities are equally entitled to have opinions about what is going on in their respective countries and the world as you or I.  Their fame and money (if they actually have it) are completely irrelevant.  They have concerns and fears and hopes and wishes and dreams for their homes and families just like we all do.

It's bad enough you try to squash and silence those around you (or at least those willing to use up valuable life by reading your social media trolling).  I put it to you, though, that perhaps celebrities have an even greater platform from which to present opinions, and I would almost go as far to say they have an obligation to use said platform.  Maybe it's a bit of a cheap stunt, but deny this: a lot of public opinion is swayed by things celebrities say.  "So-And-So A-List Movie Star said the sky is purple and beta fish manure is a delicacy, and I love what (s)he did in that one film, so it must be true." Obviously an exaggeration, but I can only presume you get my point.  Celebrities who back a political candidate and even go as far as to stump for them or make a statement has got to do worlds for campaigns.  Why else would politicians work to get celebrities at their rallies and conventions, and record commercials?  So while I can't intelligently comment on whether or not the politician truly, ultimately cares about the actual celebrity or just the endorsement, the point is gaining celebrity does not mean they suddenly stop caring about the world around them.  They deserve to be heard as much as any of us.

Except Ted Nugent.  Can we all just agree that whackjob should shut the hell up?

I had an interesting day on social media.

On Facebook today, I shared a link directly from CNN; their response to the Tweet King's claim that they engaged in false reporting over the latest hacking intel.  My statement was simply that I find CNN to still be as close to neutral as a national television news service can be today.  An old high school classmate hijacked my post and turned it into a tirade about how awful President Obama and all his policies and actions have been; nowhere near the topic of the post.  Damned if I couldn't help myself and engaged him a bit (exactly what President Obama said in his address Tuesday night; so much for talking with people in real life, not online).  Probably my proudest moment in the exchange:

Some other more liberal-minded friends chimed in with me, and then I tried letting it go as I had to admit the discussion was going to keep rolling on about the Affordable Care Act rather than the original statement about the Buffoon's lies about a credible news organization.

I had a professed Libertarian former classmate claim that the term "fake news" was used by Secretary Clinton and also by Democrats eight years ago.  I don't recall that term ever being floated around before three months ago.  Another Libertarian former classmate give a laugh emoji to my sharing of Robert Reich's statement that we need to ignore and boycott the dreadful yet inevitable proceedings approaching us in eight days.  

From there, I had total strangers adding on to my post, and not in a good way.  One man flat out told me to shut up and called me an idiot.  I deleted that comment from the thread-I-never-intended-to-be because I will not tolerate rudeness.  You can disagree with me and we can have it out in discussion, but discourtesy crosses the line.  

Another side example of this: during the campaign, I only unfriended one person on Facebook - I may have unfollowed a couple others just because I couldn't handle their daily prattling as much as I'm sure some dropped me.  This person was a former coworker from before I moved to Las Vegas.  I was never very close with him to begin with, but when he got dangerously close to insulting my mother and started using the c-word on my wall in reference to Secretary Clinton, I was done with him.  And just to clarify, this was also about not tolerating certain speech, not that he disapproved of my then candidate (I was originally a supporter of Senator Sanders - topic for another time).  Most things don't bother me like that, but when you start dropping the c- and r-words, we have nothing else to discuss.

Back to today, a woman chastised me for calling him "the Orange Menace," that I had no business bringing appearances into it.  Petty of me to be name-calling?  Perhaps, but I think to a statement by one of my comedy idols, Mel Brooks, who responds to critics of The Producers when they bring up the Hitler aspect of his film and play.  From a 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace in 2001:

"Hitler was part of this incredible idea that you could put Jews in concentration camps and kill them…How do you get even with the man? How do you get even with him?  You have to bring him down with ridicule, because if you stand on a soapbox and you match him with rhetoric, you're just as bad as he is, but if you can make people laugh at him, then you're one up on him.  It's been one of my lifelong jobs - to make the world laugh at Adolf Hitler." - Mel Brooks

This is where we are with Drumpf.  He loves attention, but he hates criticism.  Helping the world laugh at him, in whatever menial way I can with limited ability, may be the only tool I have to contribute to the fight, but I will give what little I can.

So to all the naysayers and detractors who read my writings on any platform, I say, as cliche as it may sound, we are each entitled to our opinions, and I respect you for yours, but know damn well you will never deviate me from mine.

I will desperately miss President Obama.

Let me start today by saying I am so far from the world's greatest political scholar.  I am not particularly well-read or the most knowledgeable when it comes to current events.  I was a terrible student of history.  You will not get the greatest impromptu debate from me.

What I have are strong beliefs.  I have a conscience.  And I have had great trust and faith in the Obama administration from day one; I respect nearly everything he has done and his great resolve to keep on despite inheriting a terrible circumstance and facing eight years of constant opposition. Listening to what I could of his farewell address tonight, it just reaffirmed all of this.  A friend posted on Facebook tonight "We took him for granted."  I'm not sure if she is right, or if we are just so afraid of the serious regression we are about to enter.

I am so afraid of what we are going to lose.  I just saw a news crawl that says the Orange Oaf is already demanding of Congress a repeal of the Affordable Care Act next week - he is not even in office yet!  How he can he be making demands??!  Race relations are getting severely damaged.  We will become secluded from the global community, either by (his) actions or by universal rejection. Human rights for LGBTQ individuals are going to be ripped away from them; what is going to happen to these families?  Women may lose control of their bodies and health.  I could go on and on.

President Obama, I salute you, Sir.  We will miss you.  I wish I had the gumption and the fortitude to follow your instructions tonight, to get those signatures, knock on doors, and fight for what I believe is right and good for the country; sadly, I know my weaknesses (topic for another time).  Throughout his political career, President Obama has always believed in hope.  He reiterated that to us tonight, that we should stand strong and not lose ours.  Heaven help me, I'm trying, but the fear is taking over . . . and I know that means I'm letting HIM win.

I am a sucker for lists.

It's not that I can't choose things for myself; I like plenty of things that many don't.  But put a "Best Of" list in front of me on a topic in which I have interest, compiled by supposed experts, and I will take that as gospel and I want to commit myself to experiencing every item contained in it.

Take, for instance, the American Film Institute.  I didn't even know it existed until its first 100 Years...100 Movies special in 1998.  I stumbled upon that broadcast about half-way through it.  I found their website and printed up the complete list, which I went through to see how many I had actually watch in their entirety.  I think I had sixteen! Out of 100!!  And I considered myself an actor at that time!  Now, I have seen several more since then, but I still haven't worked my way through the entire list.  They did another one ten years later.  I didn't do any better with that one.  And so you say, "So much for committing yourself to experiencing;" to which I am forced to shamefully respond, "Yeah, you're right."

I think about this particular list almost every turn of the calendar, telling myself that this will be the year I finally do it and watch what industry professionals have called the greatest films ever made.  I figure two per week will get me to 100 by the end of the year.  Here we are already one week in and I haven't touched it.

I have lists for movies, television, albums, plays, books, places to visit.  There is so much to experience, especially when I know they are supposed to be great.  Now that's not to say that I don't sometimes come up disappointed and let down by the knowledgeable insiders - I'll go into my opinions on Heart of Darkness and The Great Gatsby another time.  But for the most part, if hundreds and thousands of people across the world say a thing is great, there has to be something to collective opinion, especially if said opinion is coming from people who are supposed to know what they're talking about.  And so someday I will get around to watching The Godfather, binging all of M*A*S*H* and All in the Family, reading Moby Dick, seeing Hello Dolly!  If I don't, I'm afraid and saddened by what I'll be missing and leaving behind.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have another Pokemon to catch.

I really don't like winter finales.

Nothing annoys me more about network television these days than this newish trend of the mid-season or winter finale.  Don't get me wrong; I understand them, but they're obnoxious!  Sure, a show cannot sustain an episode per week, every week from September to May (or whatever a show's particular season is now that they are all not fall to spring).  I know studios only order so many episodes per season and there are obvious specials and events they must plan around (because there's nothing I love more than to have Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. pre-empted by a fourteen-hour Dancing With the Stars retrospective).  But when did it suddenly become smart programming to have a show start at the beginning of October, run three episodes, get bumped for a couple of weeks, come back for maybe two more, then be off until March?!  That's the part I don't understand!  A lot of today's biggest shows are serial ("This month it's corn flakes." copyright: Peter Tork); they need continuity. I'm not against cliffhangers.  What I am against is the huge breaks the networks force.  It just doesn't make sense to me.  Especially if you have a good show that has an audience but maybe isn't doing as well as you think it should in the ratings, why would you put a two- to three-month break smack in the middle of the season, potentially alienating marginal viewers or, heaven-forbid, loyal viewers into giving up on your show? Summer hiatuses (hiatusii?) are hard enough, but I have found myself lose interest in shows to which I am completely dedicated over extended mid-season breaks.  Granted, I almost always come back to them with full rapt attention, but I find it difficult sometimes to keep track of when they're all coming back.

This is on my mind as a few of my shows (geez, I sound like the old stereotype of a housewife with daytime soaps) are slowly starting to come back from their extended holiday respites.  I have to do a search to see when they are all returning, though.  It's too much to remember all the dates they give when the break starts after several weeks of nothing.

And THEN you have to contend with the other new trend of mid-season series premieres!  You know, those shows whose seasons don't even BEGIN until January, if not later?  Oh, the over-saturation of television!  At least a lot of it is good again!

I am at a loss for words.

I am not sure why.  I'm probably just tired today.  I really want to say something about the pending doom that is the inauguration of the Great Orange Menace and the latest intelligence findings that have proven foreign interference.  However, I have, shamefully, not been keeping as fully abreast of it all as I should be and I don't want to speak out of turn.  All I can think about is a sketch by Key & Peele that I found hilarious and that pretty sums up everything I have been saying about this fool from the beginning, and especially since he inexplicably won.

Every time I think about what is coming, that we are about to have a Tweeter in Chief, not a true leader, not a real President, I want to scream out, "Well, there you go, shitheads, you got him; get ready to reap what you've sewn!"  But then I remember that what happens to them is going to happen to the rest of us.  We are all screwed.  I implore you that if you have an ounce of conscience about what is right and just, and how we should all treat each other with dignity, respect, and love, find your own way to peacefully protest this individual (I can't even call him a man) every step of the way until he proves he will step up to the lip service he delivered on Election Night about being a President for ALL people.  I'm not holding my breath.  Until then, #nevermypresident.

I guess I wasn't at a complete loss...

I went to the theatre tonight.

So first of all, you should probably expect that title for many of my posts.  The theatre is my one true non-family passion.  Now that I have my night life back again, I hope and plan to see and participate in much more theatre in this town before my soul breaks.  And screw you, Spellcheck, for not accepting my spelling of the word!

So, the national tour of Fun Home, the 2015 Tony winner for Best Musical.  The first musical written entirely by women to ever win that award.  I was very happy to learn the show was coming to the Smith Center (Las Vegas for those needing a reminder), and I'm even happier I actually got to see it!

                                              

I actually had not heard much of the score and only had cursory knowledge of the story going into this tonight.  I had heard a couple of songs on the Sirius XM On Broadway channel 72, and of course the performance at the Tonys that year.  I knew it is autobiographical, based on Alison Bechdel's graphic novel of the same name (which I now want to read more than I did when I first heard about it).  And I knew the inevitable outcome because, like Hamilton (see what I did there?), it doesn't hide the climax of the story, spelling it out in the second song of the piece.

What can I say: I really enjoyed this play and its company!  Led by Actor's Equity President Kate Shindle, this fantastic cast presents a moving story of a young woman trying to figure out who she is at several ages as she also tries coming to grips with shocking revelations about her family.  For those afraid of spoilers, as I am, I will try to avoid giving too much away here.  I will say that if you have a problem with any sort of LGBTQ lifestyle, references, etc., a. you're an asshole, please stop reading and go beat your head into a wall until you join the rational, civilized world; and 2. don't bother with Fun Home, you will be offended, and please return to point a. above.

If you're nowhere near a city where the tour is coming, I highly suggest you get a copy of the cast recording.  You'll get a very good idea of what the show is.  There are several clips of the show online; this one gives you a quick glimpse of this cast.  I say this because the music is definitely the star.  Jeanine Tesori (music) and Lisa Kron (book and lyrics) wrote a warm score full of emotion and period fun.  I know I will be giving it deeper listens in the near future.

One problem I had with the production, though: I desperately wanted to see the actor's faces. There is a lot of emotion exuded throughout the show, and while the Smith Center really doesn't have a bad seat (except maybe the vertigo-inducing balcony, and even there you can still see), I was far enough away that, because I could not clearly see faces, I somehow did not become quite as emotionally connected as I wanted or expected to.  That said, I was just reminded that the show ran at the Circle in the Square theatre on Broadway.  Suddenly it made sense to me: this show wants to be intimate, which CitS is - I saw The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee there years ago when I lived in New York, and it is a great space for shows of this kind.  Fun Home doesn't translate as well to a full proscenium theatre that has 2,050 seats; it needs a small house of a couple hundred, in the round, with a minimal set.  Or maybe I just needed my eye drops.

I now feel the need to rant a bit here: either learn theatre etiquette or do the rest of us a favor and DON'T COME!  It's bad enough people think nothing of coughing out loud during a performance, but one of the saddest things about attending a live show in the last couple of decades is there has to be a pre-curtain announcement: "Please turn off all cell phones, recording is strictly prohibited, and if you have any candies, please open them now."  Ugh, I hate it, but this is the culture we are now in. What's even sadder is people don't heed it!  I can't tell you the number of murmurs and crinkles and coughs I dealt with for this straight 100 minutes (Fun Home runs without intermission) of fine theatre.  What's more, several people got up at various points throughout the show; a. it's rude, and 2. it's tremendously distracting to the other patrons and to the actors.  So here's the deal:

1. Either pee before you come or get to the theatre early enough so you can go before the show. And don't expect to go at intermission (if there is one) because everyone thinks that and restroom lines for fifteen minutes are ridiculous.
2. GET THERE ON TIME!!  That way you won't miss opening numbers and you're not a distraction as you're seated late.
3. Turn of your phone, or at least the ringer, the second you walk into the building.  And don't you dare take a flash photo!
4. You're at the theatre, not a movie; you don't need refreshments - forget the candies and snacks!!
5. If you're sick with a cough, I'm sorry you're ill, but don't come to the theatre.

Okay, you get my point; rant over.  Educate yourself about Fun Home - it is an excellent musical - and get yourself to the theatre as much as you can!!

Gregory Maguire has disappointed me.

Maguire is an author.  He has built a career based on taking classic fairy tales and fantasy stories and developing his own worlds out of them.  They definitely become not your grandmother's childhood stories.  His takes on the stories are full of adult themes, turning them very dark, political, and mysterious.  On the outset, this sounds very intriguing and worth investing your time and money. Sadly, you would be mistaken.  This is my public warning to not make the same mistake I have by purchasing his collection and spending many years slogging through his books.

His first, and certainly most successful and recognizable novel has been Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

                                              

This book was the source material for the hugely-popular musical Wicked, with music and lyrics by the ever-talented Stephen Schwartz.

                             

I read the novel about twelve years ago, and I really enjoyed it.  A raw, dirty, sexy, almost dystopian Oz than has ever been seen before.  I discovered the rest of his catalog and snapped them all up expecting the same type of twisted and irreverent retellings of the stories.  I got that, but not in a way that they were still enjoyable.  Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (his take on Cinderella) was good, but from there, one after the next, they became less and less interesting and cohesive.  Mirror Mirror is an interpretation of Snow White, told from the perspective of multiple characters all at once. Then he wrote a modern ghost story called Lost that focuses on an American descendant of Charles Dickens.  They all feel like he is trying to do too much and just impress readers with his extensive vocabulary.  They simply ceased to be fun.  And don't even quote me on these brief and rough descriptions; it has been so long and they left such a poor impression on me that I don't even remember for certain what the plots actually were.

On an off, he has returned to his Oz.  I thought, "Okay, Wicked was good; maybe going back to his roots, so to speak, will make for better reading."  Yyyyyeah, not so much.  Son of a Witch follows the Wicked Witch's son as he has his own adventures as teen, trying to shake off the stigma of his mother, whom he doesn't even know for certain if she was his mother, and having sexual dalliances with a young nun and a married male soldier.  A Lion Among Men follows the Cowardly Lion (obviously) through confusing political upheaval throughout the land and his nonacceptance by anyone.  And Out of Oz, the final book of the series, forget it; I think it brought a dense Dorothy back into the picture in the midst of more political trouble.  Again, one by one, they became harder and harder to finish.  I just didn't care.

Last night, I finished his latest masterpiece, After Alice, a different perspective of Alice in Wonderland, my favorite book growing up,  He remains in Wonderland barely half the book, flashing back and forth between a friend trying to find Alice and everyone else in the real world casually wondering where she has gone while her father has a dinner party with an American who has adopted a runaway slave boy and, I think, Charles Darwin.  WHAT??!!

So Mr. Maguire, you started out with such promise in my estimation (which, granted, really doesn't account for much).  My wife has read all of your books, too.  We both agree we are done with you. I'm sorry; I want to like your writing (I really do!), but you have failed me for the last time.  For anyone still tempted or curious, I recommend save your money; use the library.

Now I'm off to figure out what to read next.  I think it's either Game of Thrones or Ron Chernow's Hamilton biography that was the basis for the musical (there's the reference for the day).

I'm fat.

Okay, so not terribly, but I am technically overweight.  I stand 6', 6'-1" depending on who is dong the measuring, and when I last weighed myself (because we all know how accurate all scales are) I come in just over 210 lbs.  At one point last year I had worked my way up to around 223, the largest I have ever been.  For me, I need to be 185-190.

I never set out to be a 200-lb man (like anyone except actors preparing for a particular role ever do set out for that).  I have to attribute it to unnecessary binge-eating out of stress, undiagnosed depression, and/or boredom, and a loss of interest and (sometimes) ability to perform my workout routine.  I'm not making excuses; I have screwed myself and now I have to work even harder to be unscrewed.

I am not going to sit here and cry for sympathy over this.  I am certainly not in the position in which many find themselves.  I am not fat-shaming myself or anyone.  I am saying I do not like what I have become - let me repeat that: I do not like what I have become - and I continually try to return to a place where I will be happy.

Aside from my feelings, I also don't have a choice now; my health insurance premiums depend on it. To keep from having to pay an exorbitant hike, I have to pass an annual biometric screening; this year, for the first time, I did not.  Now I have a few months to complete several tasks involving my health to remedy this.  I already knew what I needed to do anyway; this just further incentivizes it.

So one thing I think I am able to do to work towards completing this is to use my phone's pedometer (how is Fitbit still in business?) to record 10,000 steps a day for seven days straight.  I am a Hospitality Host for a major casino in Las Vegas, so half of my job is walking around the casino floor greeting guests.  As you can imagine, the New Year's weekend generates a TON of business, so I had a TON of people to greet (no pun intended in this sentence, I promise!). Compound the regular flow with the "observed" holiday on Monday the 2nd, and I was running all over the floor for several days. Since that madness has subsided, I have had to find other ways of increasing my daily totals.  The first thing has been to put my phone in my pocket from the minute I get up in the morning and not taking it out until laying down at night; have to catch EVERY SINGLE STEP!  Then I discovered that it still tracks while I'm on the treadmill.  So while the phone gets a little sweaty in my hand as I'm running, it racks up several thousand steps towards 10K!

I have used the My Fitness Pal app on and off for a few years.  If you're not familiar, you can use it to record absolutely everything to put into your body in the day as well as track your exercise and weight.  It's a very good app that has certainly helped me at times.  I've just found it tedious to record every little thing when you have to start thinking about measurements and quantities to make sure you're entering accurate numbers.  When you work in a Las Vegas casino, you get fed.  There are employee dining rooms in the back of house, but they are generally just under-glorified buffet troughs.  The big thing of which the app made me conscious is portion control.  I realized that with huge serving spoons and clunky tongs, I was dolloping up huge helpings of the less-than-healthily-prepared concoctions we are given daily.  I have certainly recognized a difference when I ease up on the scoops.

So enough about this.  I am not turning this blog into my daily public diet diary.  I don't need public support to help me along.  I just really didn't have anything else interesting to write about today.  And I can end with this piece of humorous irony about the whole pedometer thing: I also discovered that it simply tracks perceived movement, so when I fidget with the phone, it keeps tracking like I'm moving.  So if I really need to get over that 10K hump one day, I can just cheat my way through it by twirling the phone a few times!

I wish you health and happiness - love yourselves!